Mr. R. B. Sharpe on the Kingfishers of South Africa. 279 



As, however, the evidence of the specific distinctness of the 

 Abyssinian and West- African birds is not yet entirely satisfac- 

 tory, I prefer uniting them as one species under the oldest 

 name H. chelicuti. 



103. Halcyon cyanotis, Swains. B. W. Afr. ii. p. 103. 

 This is not a Halcyon, but a West- African species of Ispidina, 



viz. Ispidina pict a (Bodd. 1783), which specific name of course 

 takes precedence over Swainson's, that not having been published 

 till 1837. 



Mr. Layard follows the example of other ornithologists in 

 referring " Alcyone coronata, Smith," to this species. I have 

 hunted diligently to find where this specific name was published, 

 but have not yet succeeded in discovering it. Sir Andrew 

 Smith never remembers publishing such a name, but has most 

 kindly promised to look into the matter for me. I would sug- 

 gest, however, that this synonym is intended to refer to Alcedo 

 quadrihrachys, which Sir Andrew remembers noticing in Natal, 

 as that bird much resembles the Australian Alcyone in general 

 appearance. 



104. Halcyon cinereifrons (Vieill. N. Diet. xix. p. 403). 

 This being the Alcedo malimbica of Shaw (1811), his specific 



name should be used instead of Vieillot's (1818). It is indeed 

 quoted by Mr. Layard as referable to the species ; but I suppose 

 he had not the works of the two authors at hand to determine 

 the question of priority. 



105. Alcedo semitorquata. Swains. Zool. 111. pi. 151. 

 This species seems to be by no means rare in South Africa, 



and is also found, but more sparingly, in Abyssinia and West 

 Africa. I have a beautiful pair in my collection from the 

 Orange River. 



106. Alcedo cristata, Linn. S. N. i. p. 178. 



Although it seems tolerably certain that the Ispida philippensis 

 cristata of Brisson* is referable to the Madagascar Corythornis, 

 and not to that of the African continent, yet it can by no means 

 be safely determined that the Alcedo cristata of Linnaeus refers 



* Vide Pucheran, Rev. Zool. 1861, pp. 337-341. 



u2 



